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Home > Conditions > Ankle > Heel pain
Every mile you walk puts a great deal of force on each foot. The feet can withstand a large load, but an excessive amount of stress drives them beyond their limits. Any time you pound your feet on hard surfaces playing sports or wear shoes that irritate sensitive tissues, chances are you’ll develop heel pain, the most typical problem affecting the foot and ankle. An aching heel will often improve by itself without surgery should you provide it with enough rest. However, many individuals try and neglect the early indications of heel pain by doing those actions that caused it. Carrying on using a painful heel can only intensify and may turn into a chronic condition resulting in more problems.
Conditions generally fall under two main categories: pain either under the heel or behind the heel.
When it hurts beneath your heel, you may have one or two problems that inflame the tissues at the base of your foot:
• Plantar fasciitis (subcalcaneal pain). Undertaking an excessive amount of running or jumping can inflame the tissue band (fascia) connecting the heel bone to the base of the toes. The pain sensation is centered beneath your heel and can be mild to start with but flares up once you take the first steps after resting overnight. You may have to do special exercises, take medication to relieve swelling and wear a heel pad inside your shoe.
• Heel spur. When plantar fasciitis continues for an extended time, a heel spur (calcium deposit) may form. Usually on the location where the fascia tissue band connects on your heel bone. Your physician will take an X-ray to confirm a bony protrusion, which often can vary in size. Treatment methods are normally identical to plantar fasciitis: rest up until the pain subsides, do special stretching and wear heel pad shoe inserts.
For those who have pain behind your heel, possibly you have inflamed the location in which the Achilles tendon inserts on the heel bone (retrocalcaneal bursitis). People frequently get this by running a lot or wearing shoes that rub or cut into the rear of the heel.
Treatment includes: